State of the Program: Ole Miss Women's Basketball

With the spring semester now underway in Oxford, let's take a look at how the major sports on campus sit early in 2023, concluding with women's basketball.

The spring semester is now underway at the University of Mississippi, and with a new year comes new challenges and expectations in the sports world.

The same can be said for the major sports at Ole Miss. Over the next few days, The Grove Report will analyze the current state of these teams in Oxford in a series of columns titled "State of the Program."

Much like the president's State of the Union address, these pieces are designed to lay out the general feeling surrounding a program here in late January. So far, we have analyzed men's basketball, football and baseball. Today, we conclude the series with a look at women's basketball. 

Friday marks a noteworthy day in the women's basketball program considering that the Rebels completed a season sweep of Mississippi State on Thursday night, the first time that has been accomplished in nearly 20 years. The win for Coach Yo's Rebels was their 17th overall on the season and sixth in conference play, holding a record of 17-4 and 6-2 in the SEC.

Far removed are the days when Ole Miss women's basketball was the doormat of the Southeastern Conference. Although Thursday's win was the Rebels' first since Jan. 12, their last two losses came by a combined six points, one of which came in overtime.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin has elevated this once-horrendous program to one of the best in the SEC. Last season marked the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007, a year where the Rebels advanced to the Elite Eight. Now, tournament appearances are becoming the expectation for the "Lady Rebels," and they look poised to reach that goal again in 2023.

In many ways, the health of the women's program is polar-opposite from the men's program. If both teams can get on the same page of success, that paired with the amenities of the SJB Pavilion could put Ole Miss fully on the proverbial basketball map in the SEC and the nation.

The potential is there, and much of that is a credit to the work done by Coach Yo and staff.

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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